Texas is known to hold some of the least restrictive firearm laws in the country, with concealed carry legalized in the state since 1995 and gun access expanding in the decades since. Today, many adults in Texas can legally carry firearms without a permit, most commonly handguns, though certain location-based restrictions remain in place.
With firearms being widely accessible in Texas and across much of the country, debates surrounding firearm regulation and public safety have continued as gun violence remains a recurring part of national and local news coverage. Even in incidents where no physical injuries are reported, these events may still leave lasting effects on involved individuals, bystanders, and the communities or properties where they occur.
In Texas, gun violence incidents occur under a range of environmental and situational conditions. They may be reported in residential, commercial, public, and institutional settings. Domestic disputes, robbery-related events, and interpersonal altercations may be part of the circumstances.
In some cases, site-level conditions such as access control or faulty security measures also play a role in the surrounding context in which these incidents occur. When property owners or managers fail to address known or foreseeable safety risks, the legal concept of negligent security may become relevant.
About The Study
For this study, Hampton & King partnered with data visualization firm 1Point21 Interactive to analyze more than five years (January 2021–April 2026) of gun violence incidents across Texas, defined as incidents involving the discharge, use, or threatened use of a firearm. This may include homicides, assaults, accidental shootings, robberies, drive-by shootings, defensive gun use, and other firearm-related events included in the methodology by Gun Violence Archive.
In Texas alone, 17,735 gun violence incidents occurred over the study period; however, a smaller share took place in public, consumer-facing, or shared residential settings. We examine that subset by location type, with a focus on venues where negligent security may have been a contributing factor.
The report includes a breakdown of impacted individuals, incident totals by Texas city, and the geographic clusters across the state that recorded repeated incidents during the study period.
Read on to learn more.
Key Takeaways:
- Bars and clubs recorded the most gun violence incidents across all location types analyzed in this study, with 734 reports. This was followed by apartments (465) and schools (400).
- 93% of incidents at bars, clubs, and apartments resulted in physical harm. While schools recorded a high volume of incidents, approximately only 12% resulted in casualties.
- Houston recorded the most gun violence incidents across the state (522). The city accounts for more firearm-related injuries and deaths than Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin combined.
- San Antonio ranked second for gun violence incidents with 271 events, followed by Dallas (132) and Fort Worth (102).
- A stretch along Gessner Road in Houston was found as a hotspot with nine shootings occurring across multiple nearby establishments, including bars, a convenience store, a liquor store, and a strip mall.
- Austin’s main nightlife corridor near Sixth Street recorded eight gun violence incidents over the study period at different bars and clubs. Similarly, Fort Worth’s West 7th nightlife district saw six incidents at different nightlife establishments.
Gun Violence Incidents by Location Type
This analysis focuses on locations where premises liability may be a factor in gun violence incidents. At commercial, public, and residential properties like apartment complexes, a property owner or manager may bear responsibility for the security of the property.
The analysis excludes incidents like officer-involved shootings, home invasions, and domestic violence in private residences.
Bars and Clubs
Bars and clubs recorded the highest number of incidents (734), followed by apartments (465) and schools (400). Together, these three location types account for 81% of the gun violence incidents analyzed in this study.
Of the incidents occurring at bars and clubs, roughly 93% ended with individuals getting hurt. These incidents left 907 patrons injured and caused the death of 314 individuals.
In Texas, licensed firearm carry is actually prohibited in establishments where alcohol sales account for 51% or more of revenue. Nightlife establishments, as a result, share a responsibility to ensure safety for all patrons.
Apartment Complexes
Similarly, 93% of apartment-based gun violence incidents caused injury or death, though a higher proportion resulted in death in apartment-based incidents (58%) than in bars and nightclubs (39%). These incidents were responsible for 249 injuries and 291 fatalities.
In apartment complexes, the responsibility for resident safety generally falls on property management. Reasonable steps to secure common areas and mitigate foreseeable risks of criminal activity are expected. Failures in lighting, access control, surveillance, or security presence may give rise to negligent security concerns.
Schools, Hotels, and Malls
Schools, while having one of the highest numbers of incidents, have one of the lowest shares of incidents involving anyone being killed or injured. This may represent records of students bringing guns to school, potentially threatening use or planning use, but never triggering them.
Hotels, while lower in total incidents, had the highest share of incidents causing physical harm (96%) of any location type, with 54 of 56 incidents. At these events, 36 individuals were killed, and 28 were injured.
Malls are among the deadliest locations per incident. Seventy percent of mall/shopping center incidents resulted in someone being killed. Thirty-three individuals were fatally injured at mall-based shootings across Texas over the study period.
Gun Violence Incidents by City
When looking at the specific venue types identified for this study, Houston recorded the most gun violence incidents of all cities in Texas, with 522 incidents. This is nearly double San Antonio’s total of 271 incidents, and accounts for more deaths and injuries than Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin combined.
Despite ranking second in total incidents, San Antonio had one of the lowest fatality rates among the top 25 cities with the highest number of incidents. A third of all incidents there resulted in a fatality.
With only 10 incidents, Garland had a share of 90% of incidents involving a fatality. That’s the highest rate of any city with at least 10 incidents.
Geo Clusters in Texas with Repeated Gun Violence Incidents
Looking at 300 meter areas, certain quadrants across Texas stood out for higher than average numbers of gun violence incidents:
9 shootings on Gesner Rd in Houston
Gessner Rd in Houston had several locations along the stretch that reported gun violence incidents, with nine shootings happening over time. Locations included bars, a convenience store, a liquor store, and a shopping center.
8 incidents at nightlife locations near 6th Street in Austin
In Austin’s main nightlife district, near 6th Street, eight incidents across bars and clubs were reported over the study period.
6 incidents at nightlight locations near 7th Street in Fort Worth
Fort Worth’s West 7th Street nightlife district also saw a concentration of incidents, with six reported at bars or clubs.
6 incidents at nightlight locations near Frio City Rd in San Antonio
There were five incidents at nearby bars and clubs in San Antonio, and one at an apartment.
Click on a cluster on the map below to zoom in.
Texas Locations with Repeated Gun Violence Incidents
The following four locations each recorded four incidents across different years, the highest total among all addresses:
- 1001 Elbel Rd, Schertz, TX 78154
A high school in Schertz recorded four separate incidents, however none involved casualties, reflecting gun possession reports rather than actual shootings.
- 10630 Beechnut St, Dallas, TX 75237
An apartment complex in Houston, on Beechnut Street, recorded four separate shootings between 2021 and 2024, with fatalities in each of these incidents.
- 1400 Jackson Keller Rd, San Antonio, TX 78213
Another high school in San Antonio, on Keller Road, recorded four gun possession incidents, where no injuries were reported.
- 8902 S Presa St, San Antonio, TX 78223
A bar on South Presa Street in San Antonio reported four incidents, with injuries recorded across multiple incidents.
Methodology
We analyzed gun violence incidents from January 2021 to April 2026 to understand where gun violence incidents are most prevalent across Texas, using data by the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that compiles firearm-related incidents across the U.S. It’s important to note that gun violence incidents are not exclusive to shootings. We define gun violence incidents as any event involving the discharge, use, or threatened use of a firearm.
Fair Use Statement
If you’d like to share the findings of our study, you may do so. We just ask that any republication include a link back to this page so readers can reference the full analysis and methodology.